KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon should take on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should he decide to contest in the next general election, party members said.
The calls for him to go head-to-head with DAP secretary-general comes following the party's 40th national delegates conference over the weekend.
Delegates were pumped up by the Prime Minister's speech on Sunday that Umno will not stake a claim to Penang and for Gerakan to rise to the challenge.
Dr Koh's announcement on Sunday that he would “sacrifice” himself for the good of the party made waves but many were disappointed that he did not elaborate further.
Party vice-president Datuk Mah Siew Keong said they were studying all angles to determine what was best for the party, adding that a number of delegates had called for Dr Koh to take on Lim.
“When he said he will sacrifice himself, it means he will do what is best for the party, whether he stands or not,” he said.
Selangor Youth deputy secretary-general Stephen Doss expressed disappointment that Dr Koh did not elaborate on what he meant by “sacrifice” and said he should announce his plans soon to galvanise the party.
“His sacrifice should either mean that he has decided to stay away from the polls or that he will contest and take on Lim in Penang. Anything other than that will be disappointing.”
Wanita chief and vice-president Datuk Tan Lian Hoe agreed that Dr Koh should take on Lim if he decided to contest in the polls.
“He has to make a decision soon whether to contest or not.
“But if he wants to contest, it has to be against Guan Eng regardless of which seat it is in Penang. He has to be brave enough to face him,” she said.
Lim is the Member of Parliament for Bagan and the Air Putih assemblyman.
Meanwhile, the party's pressure group, Gerakkanlah Gerakan (gG) co-founder Yeap Ban Choon said Dr Koh should contest the Tanjong parliamentary seat.
“Before the 12th general election, gG proposed to the party think-tank for Dr Koh to stand in Tanjong but he went to Batu Kawan instead where he lost.”
Dr Koh was elected Tanjong MP in 1982 before he was unseated by DAP's Lim Kit Siang in 1986.
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